CES 2013: NYKO

With Nintendo the only company out with their next console, it was no surprise that NYKO pretty much focused on their updated Wii U lineup here at CES, with controllers, chargers and battery packs were the theme.

Right out of the gate was the NYKO Charge Station U, which is an all-in-one dock system for storing and charging multiple Wii U controllers. You can put a Wii U GamePad and two Wii remotes on it simultaneously inn a very small footprint. It will come on both white and black to match your Wii U system, and has an adjustable cradle for the GamePad to change your viewing angle so you can charge it while watching content on it. The Charge Station U will ship in February with two NiMH batteries and rubberized covers for a suggested MSRP of $34.99

Next up and the most impressive Wii U accessory was the PowerPak, which is a replacement batter pack for the Wii U GamePad. It uses the entire space provided (not just where the Nintendo OEM pack sits) allowing it have 3x the battery capacity of the standard GamePad battery. Bets thing is that you can recharge it with the Nintendo first party docks and cables and comes with a mini screwdriver for ease of use. It is slated to hit retail around February 2013 with an MSRP of $24.99.

The Pro Commander is NYKO’s answer to the Nintendo Pro Controller and works with any title that the Pro Controller is compatible with. It connects wirelessly with the Wii U and features an analog stick layout and triggers like the Xbox 360 controller. It was very easy to handle and felt good in my hands. It is scheduled to have an MSRP of $34.99 and release in February in both white and black colors.

Other new Wii U accessories were the Power Stand, which will charge your GamePad using the original GamePad power cord. The Charge Base Pro which uses a magnetic NYKO patented dongle to charge two Wii U Pro controllers and the U Boost, which is a clip-on battery pack that adds double capacity to the GamePad and doubles as a viewing stand. All of these are also scheduled for a February release.

The last items we took a look at were the new Android-compatible Playpad lineup of controllers that started shipping right around the holidays. Both the Playpad and Playpad Pro were available to demo and they worked really well. The Playpad comes in both black and white and has a storage case that isn’t much larger than an eyeglass case. The Playpad Pro is a full-sized controller that seemed more geared toward tablets and larger displays. Sean mentioned that the Playpad felt a bit small in his hands, but I thought it was comfortable enough. We did ask NYKO if any of the Playpads might work with the any of the Android-based consoles that have recently been released, but they were unable to comment at this time. Based on where they are at and what would need to be done, I do not think it would be hard for NYKO to retool the Playpads, or refresh them to work with any new Android consoles in the future.